Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.

Theft at the market brings worry in the community.

Breakdown of Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.

• kwenye: at
• soko: the market
• katika: in
• kuleta: to bring
• wasiwasi: the worry
• jamii: the community
• wizi: the theft

Questions & Answers about Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.

Why does the verb start with u- in unaleta instead of a- or i-?

In unaleta, the u- at the beginning is the subject agreement prefix. It must match the noun class of the subject.

• wizi (theft) is an abstract noun formed from the verb kuiba (to steal).
• It belongs to a noun class that takes u- as its subject prefix in the present tense.
• So you get:
  • u- = subject prefix agreeing with wizi
  • -na- = present tense marker
  • -leta = verb root bring / cause

So wizi sokoni unaleta… literally: theft at the market it-is-bringing… → theft at the market is causing…
If the subject were, for example, soko (market, class 5/6), you would see li- or ya- depending on number, not u-.

What exactly does sokoni mean, and how is it different from soko or katika soko?

• soko = market (the basic noun)
• sokoni = at the market / in the market (noun + -ni locative suffix)
• katika soko = in the market, using the preposition katika instead of the -ni suffix

The -ni ending often marks place/location:

• nyumba → nyumbani (house → at home)
• shule → shuleni (school → at school)
• soko → sokoni (market → at the market)

You could say wizi katika soko, but wizi sokoni is shorter and very natural. It also often sounds more like “at markets / in the marketplace” in general, not just one specific market.

Could the subject be just wizi without sokoni? What changes if I say Wizi unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii?

Yes, you can say:

• Wizi unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.

This means Theft causes anxiety in society in a more general sense (theft anywhere).

Including sokoni narrows it down:

• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.
  Theft at the market causes anxiety in society.

So:

• wizi alone = theft in general.
• wizi sokoni = specifically theft that happens at the market / in markets.

Why is the preposition katika used in katika jamii? Can I say kwa jamii instead?

Both are possible, but they emphasize slightly different things.

• katika jamii literally: within society / in society

  • Focuses on where the anxiety exists.
  • Sounds like the anxiety is spread throughout society.

• kwa jamii literally: to/for the society / for the community

  • Often focuses more on affecting society, almost like for society or on society.

In this specific sentence:

• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.
  Sounds like: Market theft is creating anxiety within society.

• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi kwa jamii.
  Sounds more like: Market theft is causing anxiety for society / to society.

Both are understandable and grammatically fine. Katika jamii is slightly more neutral and common in written Swahili for this kind of idea.

What exactly does wasiwasi mean, and is it singular or plural?

Wasiwasi is a noun that means things like:

• worry
• anxiety
• uneasiness / concern

Some notes:

• It is treated as a mass/abstract noun, a bit like worry or anxiety in English.
• You normally don’t make it plural in everyday use. You just say:
  • Nina wasiwasi. – I’m worried / I have anxiety / I’m uneasy.
  • Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi. – Market theft causes anxiety.

If you really wanted to talk about “many worries” you’d usually change wording rather than try to pluralize wasiwasi. For learners, it’s best to think of wasiwasi as an uncountable noun like water or stress in English.

What is the difference between wizi and mwizi?

They are closely related but not the same:

• wizi = theft, stealing (the act or crime)

  • Abstract noun formed from the verb kuiba (to steal).
  • Example: Wizi ni kosa. – Theft is a crime.

• mwizi = thief (the person who steals)

  • Follows the m-/wa- pattern for people:
    • mwizi – thief
    • wezi – thieves

So in your sentence:

• Wizi sokoni… = Theft at the market… (the act of stealing at the market),
  not “the thief at the market.” If you wanted “the thief at the market,” you’d say mwizi sokoni.

Is unaleta more like “is causing” (present continuous) or “causes” (simple present)?

-na- in unaleta covers both ideas in Swahili:

• It is the usual present tense marker.
• It often translates to simple present (causes, brings) or present continuous (is causing, is bringing), depending on context.

So unaleta can be translated as:

• brings / causes (general truth or habit)
• is bringing / is causing (right now / these days)

In your sentence:

• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.
  Can be understood as:
  • Market theft causes anxiety in society. (general statement)
    or
  • Market theft is causing anxiety in society. (current situation)

The Swahili form is the same; the English translation depends on the context you have in mind.

Why is there no word for the in the sentence? How do I know whether it means “the theft” or “thefts” or “theft in general”?

Swahili does not have articles like a, an, the. The noun wizi can therefore cover different English possibilities:

• the theft
• the thefts
• the stealing
• theft in general

Which one is correct depends on context, not on a specific word in the sentence.

In this sentence:

• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.

Natural English translations include:

• Theft at the market causes anxiety in society.
• Market theft causes anxiety in society.
• Thefts at the market are causing anxiety in society. (if context suggests repeated cases)

All of those come from the same Swahili sentence; you choose the best English article and number based on what you know about the situation.

Can I change the word order, for example putting sokoni later: Wizi unaleta wasiwasi sokoni katika jamii?

You have some flexibility with word order in Swahili for emphasis, but not all positions sound natural.

• The core order is typically Subject – Verb – Object – (other phrases).

In your original sentence:

• Wizi sokoni = subject (with a modifier)
• unaleta = verb
• wasiwasi = object
• katika jamii = prepositional phrase

So the basic structure is:

[Wizi sokoni] [unaleta] [wasiwasi] [katika jamii].

If you say:

• Wizi unaleta wasiwasi sokoni katika jamii.

it becomes awkward and unclear: it sounds like the worry is at the market in society, which is confusing, and sokoni seems to modify the wrong thing.

More natural variations would keep sokoni close to wizi, for example:

• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi katika jamii. (most natural)
• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi mkubwa katika jamii. (great anxiety)
• Wizi sokoni unaleta wasiwasi kwa jamii.

So yes, there is flexibility, but keep location words like sokoni near the noun they describe.

How would I clearly say “The thefts at the market are causing anxiety in society” if I really want to stress that there are multiple incidents?

Swahili often uses a mass noun (like wizi) to cover repeated incidents, so the original sentence can already imply multiple thefts. But if you want to be very explicit about separate incidents, you can use a different structure, for example:

• Matukio ya wizi sokoni yanaleta wasiwasi katika jamii.
  
  • matukio = incidents / occurrences (plural)
  • ya wizi sokoni = of theft at the market
  • yanaleta = they bring / they cause (ya- agreeing with matukio)

This more literally matches:

• The theft incidents at the market are causing anxiety in society.

So:

• Wizi sokoni unaleta… – can mean market theft (in general) causes…
• Matukio ya wizi sokoni yanaleta… – clearly signals multiple theft incidents at the market are causing…